


First Holiday Alone

by RebaK1tten



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Grief, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Minor Peter Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Pre-Slash, Recreational Drug Use, post season 3B, season 4 never happened
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-08
Updated: 2014-12-08
Packaged: 2018-02-28 15:23:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2737604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RebaK1tten/pseuds/RebaK1tten
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Before he loses his nerve, he knocks on the door to Chris’ apartment and stands back so that he can be seen through the peep hole.  Chris opens the door and looks at him with what Derek would classify as suspicion.</p>
            </blockquote>





	First Holiday Alone

It might be a stupid idea. And this is coming from one of the experts of stupid ideas.

But Derek remembers his first Christmases without his family, how lost and lonely he felt. He’s not sure he’ll be welcome, but after everything that’s happened, Chris is pack. Stiles said something about pack means no one is left behind, and that’s another thing that makes no sense, but it is stuck in his head.

Before he loses his nerve, he knocks on the door to Chris’ apartment and stands back so that he can be seen through the peep hole.  Chris opens the door and looks at him with what Derek would classify as suspicion. 

“Derek? Everything okay?” Chris asks and looks behind him into the hallway, for what, Derek isn’t sure. If there was a problem, it’s not like he’d drag it to Chris’ apartment.

“Yeah, it’s…” Damn, he should have thought about this a little more. He holds up the white bakery bag and says, “I bought too many cookies and thought maybe you’d help me eat them.”

Chris looks at him with a puzzled expression, but Derek can see his nose twitch. The cookies are chocolate chip, both with and without nuts. They’re warm and soft and they’re Derek’s favorites and they’re fucking _great._

The hunter steps to the side, gesturing for Derek to come in and he tries not to be too obvious while he looks around the small apartment.

Chris leads him into the living room, saying, “I’d offer you a drink, but I don’t know what’s appropriate for cookies. Or werewolves.” He scratches his head and studies Derek as they sit on opposite ends of the couch. There’s a glass of what smells like whiskey on the coffee table and a football game is playing quietly on the television. Chris nods toward the glass on the table and shrugs. “I’d offer you a drink-drink, but I know it doesn’t affect you.”

“No, it doesn’t.  Even when it’s given a kick, I just end up with a headache.” Derek reaches into the pocket of his shirt and pulls out a small wood box. “I did bring something of my own, if you’re okay with it,” he asks, opening the box and taking out a hand-rolled cigarette. “I have a prescription,” he says, smirking.

Chris looks at him and Derek checks his scent to be sure he’s not angry. What he gets mostly is curiosity. “Really, Derek? Marijuana works for werewolves? Have to say, I didn’t know that.”

“It’s doctored a bit with a wolfsbane plant,” Derek explains. “Peter knows someone…”

“You trust your psychotic, murderous uncle for drugs?” Chris asks, taking the joint and studying it.

Derek shrugs. “Peter kind of majored in substance abuse while he was in college.” He takes the joint back from Chris and hands him a different one from the box. “There’s a plain one if you’re interested.  No pressure, but…”

 

 

As he hoped, Chris appears very comfortable with the joint, taking a deep drag and talking through it before he exhales. “Shit, I haven’t gotten stoned since… college maybe? Or a year or so after. Gerard was – well you can guess.”

“You were the family rebel?” Derek asks on his exhale.

“I tried, but… the family business,” he says, shaking his head, scent going bitter. “This is really good stuff, does it knock you on your ass like it’s knocking me on your ass? My ass?” Chris grins and shakes his head.

“Lil’ bit,” Derek concedes, smiling and nodding quietly. They changed the tv to a music channel a little earlier and he’s enjoying Chris’ gentle head bobs and mostly relaxed smells.

“I hope you don’t drive the kids when you’re smoking this,” Chris says, and then looks down, brows drawn together.

“Nope,” Derek jumps in, desperate to save today, to get back that scent that Chris had earlier. “Mostly I sit on the sofa and eat my weight in Fritos and watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”

Chris’ chuckles turn into belly laughs and he gasps, “Buffy? You watch Buffy?”

“Yeah, Stiles got me watching it,” Derek says, laughing along. “He pointed out we probably live in Sunnydale. But he didn’t appreciate it when I said in that case, he’s Xander.”

“No, I wouldn’t think so,” Chris takes another hit and Derek waits patiently watching his face as he’s forming a question. “How is he? Is he seeing a therapist or talking with someone or anything?”

“He’s doing okay, good and bad days.” Derek downs half the bottle of water in front of him before he continues. “He doesn’t want to see a therapist, saying that he couldn’t talk about what happened anyway, which is probably true. He spends a lot of time talking with Peter.”

“Peter?” Chris asks, pulling a cookie out of the bag and grunting appreciatively. “Is that a good idea?”

Derek rubs his beard and takes a cookie for himself before he answers. “Peter knows a lot about rage and grief and regret. He’s probably the one best able to understand what Stiles is feeling. Fuck me, this is the best cookie in the world.”

Chris chuckles and goes to the kitchen, coming back shortly with two glasses of milk. “I guess that all sounds logical, but is he trustworthy? Stiles is a 17 year old kid after all.”

He takes another bite of the cookie and a long drink of milk. “Peter looks after Peter first. He won’t do anything that might hurt himself. Doing anything inappropriate to Stiles isn’t in his best interest. We had a serious discussion before he started seeing Stiles and I did throw him around a bit to be sure I had honest answers. He’s not interested in anything that’s not consensual.”

“Wait, wait…” Chris looks at him and Derek smiles at his blood shot eyes and slightly slow reactions. “Consensual like… like sex and stuff? I wasn’t even thinking about that.”

“Maybe. They’re both interested in each other. I made Peter promise not to do anything until Stiles is 18, which wasn’t too difficult since you gave the Sheriff bullets.”

“Hmm, yeah. Still, I don’t know that Stiles needs any additional problems.”

Derek smiles and says, “I don’t think it’s a problem. I can smell them both and I think it’s okay.  They both smell happier and…they’re keeping each other safe.”

“You can smell that?” Chris asks, and relights his joint. “Something that specific? What do I smell like?”

_Pain. Despair. Anger. Depression. Violence_. “Right now?” Derek leans towards him, surprised that they’re now sitting almost thigh-to-thigh. He sniffs at Chris’s neck, and Chris tilts his head a little to the left, which whoa. “Amused. Content. Surprised.” Chris is looking down while Derek looks at him, and he’s glad that Chris can’t smell his any of his jumbled thoughts.

Chris takes a breath and stands slowly, supporting himself with a hand on Derek’s shoulder. “Hey, I think I need more than just cookies. Split a pizza?”

“Sure. And ask them if they have Fritos.” When Chris turns away, Derek quickly smells his shoulder where the other man left his scent. Maybe this was a stupid idea for a number of reasons.

“Derek,” Chris says quietly as he dials his phone. “Thanks for coming over.”

Derek just smiles at him and starts to plan for New Years.

**Author's Note:**

> Maybe I'll follow up with New Years, if I can figure out what happens! They should at least kiss.
> 
> Come say hello on Tumblr, I'm rebak1tten and I multi-ship.


End file.
